Too much TV

When I peaked at the TV listings last night, I knew there’d be little hope of getting any significant work done.

Cubs on WGN. “American Idol.” “Glee.” My old friend Adam was going to be “Found” on “NCIS: Los Angeles” (though the ending didn't turn out well for Adam, er Dom). And -- the rock in my TV-watching schedule, amid this tumultuous 2010 -- “Lost.” (We'll get to that later.)

My trusty VCR was going to get a workout.

I tuned into the Cubs game during commercial breaks, but didn’t miss much. I saw Ryan Church’s go-ahead two-run homer, and that was enough. The Cubs lost 3-2.

After watching “American Idol,” though, the Cubs loss might have been more entertaining. The best thing about last night’s show was seeing Harry Connick Jr. skillfully mentoring the gang and smacking them with wisecracks.

Regarding the singing? Ugh. The finale cannot come soon enough.

Aaron Kelly had to go. Randy and Ellen were far too nice. But Kara and Simon hit it on the head -- Aaron lacked charisma and conviction … I admire the kid, I do. But I think his voice and stage presence still need a lot of growing. As Phoebe would say, “I need mo!”

I actually thought Casey James sounded pretty decent, even though the judges beat him up pretty good … Crystal Bowersox just looked stunning.

Michael Lynche cleaned up, of course. Frank Sinatra and “The Way You Look Tonight” are in his wheelhouse. Although, I didn’t like that he kept slurring his words.

Lee DeWyze won the night, hands down. And I agreed with Ellen -- if the final performance were tonight, he would have won the whole thing.

* * *

A couple weeks ago, I suggested “All is right with the world when ‘Glee’ is on.” … It was the one hour each week that transported me away from thoughts of work, house hunting and family stuff.

I take that back now.

The Madonna episode was good. Last week’s episode of elevator songs was lame. And last night’s episode of hits people would generally like to forget was just brutal ... And I'm not expecting the Brittney Spears and Lady Gaga theme nights to be much better.

It’s a good thing most of the zingers thrown around McKinley High are still sharp. Brittany’s character is rising, too, with her hilarious head-in-the-clouds lines.

But I'm missing the rousing, glowing, chill-inducing performances (listen to "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Jump" and "Don't Stop Believin'") that helped make the first season such a smash. The show is better when it samples a range of the musical spectrum, not a narrow theme focused on a specific style or artist.